According to OKX market data, Bitcoin (BTC) has fallen below the 80,000 USDT mark, currently trading at approximately 79,658.1 USDT, representing a 24-hour decline of about 2.02%. Ethereum (ETH) has also dipped below 2,500 USDT, with its current price at approximately 2,463.37 USDT, down around 2.79% in the past 24 hours. Data from Coinglass indicates that total liquidations across the market in the last 24 hours amounted to approximately $1.221 billion. Of this total, long positions accounted for roughly $1.108 billion, while short positions contributed approximately $1.14 billion. #crypto #blockchain #news #BTC #Bitcoin

Binance Founder CZ Unfollows Solana Co-Founder Anatoly Yakovenko Amidst Exchange Criticisms Reports indicate that Changpeng Zhao (CZ), founder of Binance, unfollowed Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko on January 31st at 15:03 UTC+8. This action follows an earlier event where Yakovenko shared an article by OKX founder criticizing Binance. The community has previously raised concerns, suggesting that Binance, as a platform, should maintain impartiality across various ecosystems rather than solely prioritizing its own BNB Chain. This sentiment echoes calls for greater platform neutrality within the cryptocurrency space. #crypto #blockchain #news

Solana-based DeFi platform Step Finance has reported a security breach affecting a portion of its treasury and fee wallets. On-chain data indicates that approximately 261,854 SOL, valued at around $30 million at the time of the incident, were unlocked and transferred. The platform stated that the matter is currently under investigation. #crypto #blockchain #news

According to Arkham data, the Heka fund, managed by Abraxas Capital, transferred 2,000 BTC to Kraken approximately two hours ago. Heka is Abraxas Capital's core quantitative and systematic trading fund, primarily focused on major crypto assets like BTC and ETH, as well as their derivatives. #crypto #blockchain #news #BTC #Bitcoin

Tether has minted approximately 192,000 XAUt tokens on the Ethereum network, valued at roughly $946 million or equivalent to six tons of physical gold. The transaction occurred approximately 10 hours ago, according to Etherscan data. #crypto #blockchain #news

Ostium Protocol Achieves Record Trading Volume Amidst Gold and Silver Market Plunge New York, NY – January 31, 2026 – Ostium, a Real World Asset (RWA) Perpetual Decentralized Exchange (DEX), experienced an unprecedented surge in trading activity on January 30th, coinciding with a significant downturn in the gold and silver markets. The protocol reported a record-breaking single-day trading volume of $713 million. On the same day, traders on Ostium saw substantial gains, with their aggregate net profit reaching $5.787 million, another historical high for the platform. This remarkable profitability reversed previous cumulative losses for traders, shifting their overall standing from a $3 million deficit to a net positive of over $2.6 million within a single trading day. The performance highlights the growing interest and activity within the RWA sector of decentralized finance. #crypto #blockchain #news

## Crypto Cards: Bridging Digital Assets and Global Commerce via Stablecoin Payments Crypto cards are emerging as a pivotal solution for stablecoin payments, effectively bypassing the challenges of merchant adoption and leveraging existing payment networks like Visa and Mastercard. These cards facilitate seamless transactions by converting user-held stablecoins into fiat currency at the point of sale, thus merging the cross-border value proposition of stablecoins with the universal accessibility of bank cards. The industry is witnessing a concentration of value at the settlement layer, with growth primarily driven by solutions that address genuine pain points in the market. In the short term, direct stablecoin merchant onboarding is unlikely to supplant traditional card networks. Consequently, crypto cards are poised to remain a crucial bridge for mainstream stablecoin adoption in commercial activities. Read more:

IOSG Report Highlights Circle's Strategic Moat and Long-Term Value Amidst Digital Dollar Push In the evolving landscape of digital finance, characterized by the advancement of compliant digital dollars in Europe and the US and a push to dismantle opaque offshore systems, Circle has established a robust institutional moat. This is attributed to its strategic positioning through regulatory licenses, transparent auditing practices, and strong partnerships with traditional financial networks. While profitability remains influenced by interest rate cycles and revenue-sharing models, Circle is actively expanding its ecosystem. Through initiatives like crypto card integrations and cross-chain interoperability protocols (CCTP), coupled with collaborations with established networks such as Visa, Circle is building significant network effects. Looking ahead, Circle is transitioning from a singular focus on stablecoin issuance to a more comprehensive ecosystem encompassing payments, settlement services, and Real World Asset (RWA) tokenization. This strategic diversification, underpinned by its compliance-first approach, is poised to translate into sustained long-term value within the burgeoning digital dollar ecosystem. #crypto #blockchain #news

Dragonfly Capital Partner Haseeb Qureshi has publicly countered claims made by Star Xu, founder of the Huobi exchange, which attributed the recent 10/10 market crash to Binance and Ethena. Qureshi argued that Xu's causality is flawed, citing that Bitcoin reached its bottom first and that USDe's deviation was isolated to Binance, without broader cross-exchange impact, making it insufficient to explain a synchronized market liquidation. Instead, Qureshi proposed a more plausible explanation involving a confluence of macroeconomic shocks and exchange API failures. He suggested these issues led to market maker disengagement, a liquidity vacuum, and a cascading effect of liquidations and forced deleveraging (ADL). Qureshi emphasized that such events typically lack a single "mastermind" and instead represent a systemic failure of market microstructure under extreme conditions. #crypto #blockchain #news #BTC #Bitcoin

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced it will operate under its contingency plan due to a government funding lapse and shutdown. Effective January 31, 2026, the agency will maintain a minimal staff to address urgent matters and uphold market integrity and investor protection. Core systems, including EDGAR, will remain operational throughout the shutdown. Updates on the SEC's operational status will be published on its website. #crypto #blockchain #news

Big crypto shake-up! Altcoins bleeding ~$40B in open interest as risk appetite dries up. Bull cycles shrinking fast (median ~20 days in 2025 vs. 40-60). Investors fleeing to BTC & ETH for safety. #crypto #altcoins #Bitcoin #Ethereum